PALU, Central Sulawesi, 13 October 2018: The quake and tsunami have seriously impacted the health sector in Central Sulawesi, especially the health facilities and health workers.

“There is an urgent need for reproductive health care because women who are pregnant and about to give birth are among the displaced communities.”

“They need skilled assistance to make sure that the mother and baby are in good care,” said Mrs. Mardiani Mangun, Head of the Provincial Chapter of the Indonesian Midwives Assosciation.

The 28 September earthquake/tsunami has left worst-hit districts of Sigi, Donggala, and Palu Municipality with little or no access to health care.

In close cooperation with the RH Subcluster led by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Provincial Health Office (PHO, UNFPA is setting up a total of 20 reproductive health (RH) tents to ensure immediate access to reproductive health/adolescent reproductive health services, as well as Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response in emergency situations. Priority is given to hard-to-reach, underserved communities.

As of Oct. 13, five RH ents have been built and operational, namely in Palu, Beka, Masjid Agung, Wombo Kalonggo, and Donggala Kodi. The RH tents have been received with open arms by the displaced people living in camps and communities in those areas. Services in the RH tents are provided by midwives from the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI) and the PHO for Maternal Health; Pulih Foundation is providing counseling and prevention of gender-based violence, Indonesia Planned Parenthood Association (IPPA, or PKBI in Bahasa Indonesia) is providing youth-friendly reproductive health information and services. Volunteer health workers have been deployed from other provinces to provide additional support.